Fan Central

Heinicke, Lovato Named to College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous 50 FCS All-America Team

January 21, 2013
By ODU Athletics

ODU Sports

Jan. 21, 2013

NORFOLK, Va. - Old Dominion University sophomore quarterback Taylor Heinicke was named the FCS Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team quarterback on the College Sporting News 2012 Fabulous 50 FCS All-America Team. Sophomore long snapper Rick Lovato also earned All-America honors.

The honor for Heinicke adds to the long list of accolades for the sophomore quarterback. In December he won the Walter Payton Award for the Best Player in the FCS and also earned the Dudley Award for the top Division I Player in Virginia. This is Heinicke's sixth All-America honor.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Heinicke set single-season FCS records for passing yards with 5,076 and completions with 398. He broke Steve McNair's 18-year old passing yardage record and became the first FCS quarterback to throw for more than 5,000 yards. The completion record was held by Villanova's Brett Gordon. Heinicke led the FCS in passing yards, passing yards per game, passing touchdowns, total touchdowns, points responsible for and total offense. His 44 touchdown passes and 55 total touchdowns are the third most in a single-season in FCS history, behind Willie Totten (Mississippi Valley State, 1984) and Bruce Eugene (Grambling, 2005).

Heinicke also finished second on the Monarchs with 470 rushing yards on 126 carries and had a team-best 11 rushing touchdowns.

Lovato, a native of Middletown, N.J., completed a second flawless year at long snapper on all punts and extra points/field goals. He played in every game for the second-straight year, recording two tackles. The All-America honor is the first of his career.

The Monarchs set a school record with 11 wins in 2012, finishing atop the CAA with a 7-1 record. ODU received the No. 4 seed in the FCS playoffs and advanced to the quarterfinals and finished the year ranked No. 6 in the final FCS polls.

COLLEGE SPORTING NEWS 2012 FABULOUS FIFTY FCS ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Coach of the Year: Walt Hameline, WagnerOffensive Player of the Year: Taylor Heinicke, Old Dominion
Defensive Player of the Year: Marcus Williams, North Dakota State
Offensive Lineman Of The Year: Corey Howard, Central Arkansas
Special Teams Player Of The Year: Austin Shanks, Northern Arizona
Freshmen Of The Year: Vernon Adams, QB, Eastern Washington
Playoff MVP: Brock Jensen, QB, North Dakota State